Live Recap: Helix Vision & Messy Pages

I don’t know about you, but I’m an online art class lover. In the past, I have purchased classes from Connie Solera, Tamara Laporte, Roxanne Coble, and Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd. They’re all amazing, by the way. But this week, I have been having a BLAST participating in the newest art journaling class over at Get Messy! The website just released a course called Messy Pages (in the Classes tab located at the top of the GM site) by the incredibly talented Tanyalee Kahler. Tanyalee has been an inspiration to me since I joined Get Messy last year, where she was a Creative Team member. (Her blog is also place of painty goodness.) So I thought that, for this week’s Instagram Live Stream, I would open my hour long stream by working on top of a background that was created using a technique inspired by Messy Pages! The image below is how my spread looked immediately before my live stream.

This is only similar to how I usually begin my altered book spreads in that the background is a combination of acrylic paints. I usually use acrylics in my altered book for their opacity, as there are many elements on a spread that I may want to cover—such as text and page numbers. Because this background was so thick with paint, I gave it about two hours to dry before going live. During the stream, I began working over top my pages in the usual way, applying more paint, marking with pens, and drawing with markers. I was able to accomplish a surprising amount of work in the hour-long stream! Had I not had plans on how I wanted my spread to end up, I could have happily called these pages finished after the stream! The image below shows how the spread appeared at the end of this week’s stream.

“Helix Vision” Work in Progress

As you can see, the bottom right corner of the spread seems empty (by my usual standards), and the imagery left from the original spread (a series of eyes) don’t exactly command the attention for which I’d hope. However, I did love how the yellow and white KRINK brand solid paint sticks marked on top of the matte black gesso; they gave the effect of chalk on a blackboard! The scribbles and X’s and O’s were my favorite part of the page, and I didn’t want to lose that look, but I was willing to sacrifice some of it in order to bring attention to my focal point. In the image below, you can see that this spread boasts no empty spaces and now guides the eye to the center of the page.

“Helix Vision” Completed Art Journal Spread

I hadn’t planned on incorporating any more techniques from Messy Pages, but I pulled some inspiration from the class and applied it to the once empty corner. Here, I covered some collage material that ended up muddied, making it unrecognizable as imagery for the finished spread. Because of this, I knew that I wanted something else to pop in that space, and I brought in some imagery that I had originally created in another spread, In this area, I also decided to reintroduce gold, which I had used on a whim during the live stream. I’m not a huge fan of metallic, due to it’s inability to photograph, but the contrast of metallic on matte black is something that I’ve been playing around with since the creation of my “Fabulous Faces” spread, created during Get Messy’s last season, Art 101. Its one of my new favorite techniques, something that I discovered when playing with the paints that came in my set of neutral matte paints by Dick Blick.

“Helix Vision” Closeup of Bottom Right Corner

It’s only the first week of the Season of Contrast over at Get Messy, but I already feel like this season is going to be perfect for me! I cannot wait to share with you the spread that I’ll be posting here on Thursday; it’s so very different from my usual color palette—and I’m loving it! Of course, the hurricane of pink and yellow that’s found on this page is equally satisfyingly, especially layered over this background. I am having so much fun trying new things! Art journaling isn’t just about expressing myself with a paintbrush, it’s also about expanding my artistic arsenal, which is the number one reason why I find new art courses so exciting!

“Helix Vision” Closeup of Center

Hopefully, you were able to join me for this week’s live stream on my Instagram, but if you weren’t, fear not! I will be streaming every Sunday at 8 pm EST, working in my art journal for all to see! I hope that you can join me sometime, and I especially hope that you’ll be making art with me, chatting about how awesome art journaling is, and letting me know if you have any questions about the many art supplies that I seem to be hoarding. Also, feel free to drop me a line by commenting here on the blog with any questions—or just to say hi!

Disclaimer: I have recently become an Amazon and Get Messy affiliate. Amazon links and Get Messy links are affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use these links to purchase the art supplies or subscribe to the Get Messy community for an annual membership. You support this blog and my ability to continue making awesome content through the use of these links! (And also gain my unending gratitude!!!) The Dick Blick website and all other links included in this post are not affiliate links; they are included for educational purposes and for your convenience.